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Rarely, if ever, does something truly new happen in the realm of evening dress. Sure, hemline can go up or down, shoulders can be sharp or loose, draped or cut away, strapless or long-sleeved, but really, in the grand scheme of things, it's all been done before. Flared mini dresses? We had those in the 1960s. Drop waist? Way back in the 20s. What about bias cut evening gowns? the 1930s has a monopoly on those bad boys. Designers today have to mine the past for inspiration and yet simultaneously strive to make their designs seem modern and resonant for a new audience who, let's face it, have seen it all before and certainly worn it all (at least!).
So that makes this season's take on evening even more remarkable. Because here is something that, if it isn't new, then it most certainly is intriguing. The new shape for evening isn't shoulder pads or plunging necklines or shorter than short, it's long, easy, comfortable and not even remotely sexy (although, perhaps in its own way, it is). The new shape is a sweeping floor length gown, slimline and tight against legs, paired with a simple, cosy jumper or sweatshirt. The inspiration is one of England's classic roses, a girl who heads to a country manor with a 1930s bias cut gown and throws on her boyfriends nubby knitted jumper as an afterthought to the cold. The same girl who, on a typical english summer night, heads out to a gala at the serpentine or the saachi in last season's Raisa Gorbachev gala black tie gown with a bonds sweatshirt over the top. With simple flat strappy sandals, a fresh-from-a-tryst hair do and a lick or peachy lipstick the look is complete. It is simple and seasy - oh so easy - and completely fresh. I haven't seen something in evening wear that has so inspired me in a long, long time.
And it's not just because I like long skirts. I do happen to like them, but that's not why I love this look, although I doubt it would have the same impact on me if it were a mini dress, or even a knee-length shift. The luxury of this pairing, it sings of women who have a wardrobe full of floor-length couture but the style smarts to pair it with arran knitwear and not south sea pearls, is fascinating. It is almost impractical, those skirts might get wrecked stomping through the streets of milan or trecking through country mud in rural england on the way back from a shooting party. It flaunts that kind of wealthy mindset where you are "criminally irresponsible", to use fitzgerald's words. You have so much money that it doesn't really matter what happens to your clothes. You can wear your couture in everyday situations because, hey, you've got 20 more where it came from.
And this is where the jumper comes in. Just when this look becomes too nauseating, too sickeningly upper-class bijou-aristos, you pop that knitted sweater on and everything is allllright. It could be a pringle of scotland chunky knit or it could be a scratchy pull over from topshop, but either way that heavy, comfy, snuggly, all-encompassing goodness that is the oversized jumper, calms it all down. It's like that friend of yours whose presence is enough to soothe egos and assuage fights. It's that reminder that even the very wealthy can be quite, quite cool. And you've got to be pretty cool, pretty remarkable, pretty modern to think to put these two together.
It's a shame, really, that I have nowhere to wear this pairing. No galas, no balls, no foundation charity evenings at which some fabulous friend of mine is the chair. Do you think it's too much for daytime? Long sweeping skirts and easy sweaters? Doesn't sound like too much to me...
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